P2‐353: The Vivaldi method and the successful care of Alzheimer's patients

Abstract

An experimental care unit for Alzheimer patients introducing the combination of four fundamental elements individually and positively recognised by the scientific and medical community: (1) a specific, balanced and personalized diet; (2) adequate control and administration of medication; (3) support for proper sleep; and (4) specific and personalized physical stimulation. To this frame is added a specific method in the interraction of the patients with various technical care providers and withthe disposition of the physical environment (configuration of spaces, accessories, methods of providing care, etc.). The Vivaldi Approach has been fashioned from working with and treating Alzheimer's patients since 2005 in the environment where the pilot project was created and grew, namely: The Vivaldi Residence in Oka, Quebec, Canada. A completed work was registered in June 2011 at the (C.I.P.O.) Canadian Intellectual Property Office (Copyright 1087800) under the unpublished book entitled “The Vivaldi Moment”. To validate the incidence of the most favorable living conditions through the evolution and control of the disease, criteria and informative scales to analyze the various patient states were established and effective tools of evaluation and documentation to specify the needs of each patient were developed. The goal is to favor cognitive expression (re-establish connections or slowdown the loss of functions) through the means of establishing cognitive, sensory and emotional pointers. A series of objective evaluative tools and procedures were discovered to analyse the impact of the “life frame” on the evolution of the disease. A caregiver's guide with specific protocols and approaches to use along with each patient's care plan was developed. From the documented stage of the disease (regression, stabilisation, augmentation of symptoms) through the use of the analytical tools created, it was determined that the specific “life frame” offered by the Vivaldi Method increases the quality of life of residents. A residential concept with a home-like environment system and precise physical characteristics was conceived and developed for people affected by Alzheimer's disease.